The SCL Starcraft RPG - Content thread

Amaris
Protoss Preserver

Zethanis turned his attention to the young preserver that sat on the cushion in front of him, his hands resting on his legs. Amaris could not help but think that he looked silly, a large Templar wearing the golden cybernetic armor of a zealot sitting on a small cushion.

"You must have endured much in your training, Amaris."

She nodded, slowly, staring at her own hands.

He half closed his eyes, tilting his head. "Do not be so shy. If I am to serve you properly, you must be able to trust me."

Amaris nodded once more.

"Now then," Zethanis said, his thoughts more serious than before. "What else have you learned?" Before she could respond, he quickly added, "That you can tell me of course."

Amaris saw this as a way to escape the horror she had recently experienced in the form of a series of memories. "I have learned that the simple pleasures are sometimes the most important in life. That great joy can be found in the simplest of things."

"And whom did you learn this from?"

"A member of the khalai caste," Amaris replied. "The khalai was making a small ornament out of wood. I... experienced his joy in completing it."

Zethanis nodded. "It is good that you had this experience, Amaris. It will help to strengthen you. You may not see it at first but these experiences and others much like it will help you become a better Protoss. You will appreciate not only the beautiful architecture of our cousins but those that laboured to make it."

"It is a sad thing that I cannot experience their memories. It is even more sad that they cannot join us in the Khala."

Amaris felt Zethanis' sorrow. "That it is. But know this: from this choice they have gained abilities that have helped us against the Swarm. Was it not a Dark Templar that tought Tassadar the means with which to destroy the dreaded Overmind?"

"Zeratul!" Amaris exclaimed, eyes wide.

The zealot half closed his eyes, tilting his head. "You have learned much, Amaris, and this, I am proud of."

"... Thank you, Zethanis." Amaris looked down, feeling a bit uneasy. If there was a Terran around, they would have said that she was blushing. Well, as much as a Protoss could.

"Perhaps we should focus on your training for today?" Zethanis suggested, eyes half closed, head tilting in a smile.

Amaris shook her head. "I must train with my teacher."

"I will wait for you then and perhaps we may train later."

Both Protoss got off the cushions. Amaris ran her hands down her robe, smoothing the folds out while Zethanis patiently waited near the door. Amaris walked over to join him and together they left the room. Amaris headed down the hallway.

"You may come in," came the strong, dry voice of her teacher.

"How did you know I was there so easily?" Amaris asked as she entered the room.

Her teacher's room was even more extragant than her own. There was a chair in front of a desk and cushion along the ground. There was also a shelf to hold his many khaydarin crystals. They were of all shapes and sizes, some green, others purple and still others blueish. Her teacher looked up from his cushion, holding a crystal in his hands. He was a dark blue in colour although the colour faded into a lighter blue around his eyes and chin, and he had bright orange eyes.

The skin around his eyes crinkled and he tilted his head. Amaris felt his amusement. "I am much more trained than you are, Amaris. I sensed you long before."

She nodded. "I am here as you have requested, Ranul."

Ranul beckoned her to come sit down on a cushion and Amaris complied. Once she looked comfortable, Ranul put his khaydarin crystal down and looked at her.

"Today we will work on learning to keep yourself from becoming too wound up by the memories you bear. You have always needed work on this although I suspect it is because you are very emotional. At times."

"What memory would you have me experience?" she asked.

"It is your choice this time," Ranul replied.

Amaris nodded and closed her eyes, letting the memory flood her mind and her senses.

Karen Sarov
Experiment

Karen opened her eyes, pulling the covers tighter around her, letting out what could be called a purr. Karen looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand and sighed. It was nice and warm, and she didn't want to get up. But alas, she had a duty to fulfill and more sleep would have to come later. Reluctantly, she threw the covers off her and got up. It took her a minute or so to change into her 'uniform' - that is if you could call what she wore some sort of uniform. She wore a once piece, black suit that was tight fitting. She laced her boots up and put on her belt with the holster for her side arm - not that she'd be needing that right now. Karen checked the mirror to make sure she looked presentable and realized that her hair looked messy. Grumbling, she grabbed the brush on the sink and became brushing her hair down. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she turned off the light and stepped out into the hallway.

And as usual there was a marine there to greet her. Or was it to follow her and keep an eyes out on her? While Karen found this mildly annoying she did realize that there was a large chance that Stukov did not fully trust her. But she could live with that.

"Ma'am," the marine said by way of greeting.

"Carry on," Karen replied even as she headed down the hallway. The marine fell in step behind her.

It didn't take too long for Karen to reach the room she was looking for, especially with her speed. She opened the door and entered the room. The room was a particularily large one at least for the amount of room they had. There were a few tables and file cabinets in the room but most of the space was reserved for a working area. Scientists in labcoats wandered around the room, some checking on paperwork or looking at a handheld display while still a few others stood around what could be called the isolation chamber. Karen walked over to the isolation chamber. She stared out the window and watched as the zergling that was kept within growled and stood up. It paced in the room before suddenly launching itself at the glass. Some of the scientists immediately backed up. There was a loud thud as the zergling slammed into the glass and slid down.

"How is the research going?" Karen asked, her gaze focused on the magnificent creature.

"We're having a bit of a problem," the man reluctantly admitted after some time.

"Oh?" Karen responded, turning to face him, one eyebrow raised.

The scientist pointed to the zergling in the isolation room. "You need to do something to keep it calm or else we'll never get what we need."

"You know I've been trying," Karen replied. She growled slightly. "It would help however if I didn't have people watching and taking notes all the time."

"Terribly sorry, ma'am..."

Karen sighed. "I understand..." She smiled. "Everything for science, huh?"

The scientist grinned slightly, feeling a little more comfortable around her but not by much. Karen wasn't too shocked by the fact that even her co-workers didn't feel comfortable around her much less trust her. She figured it was because of her appearance - claws, black veins, bright almost glowing blue eyes and a pale complexion weren't anywhere near the normal human appearance. She'd have to live with it. Maybe - eventually - they would learn to trust her. Or maybe it was because some of them feared her because of what she was? Who knows. Karen found her studies to be more important than what people thought of her.

Karen entered the code and entered the room. The zergling immediately turned to face her. Karen calmly walked up to it and knelt down.

"So beautiful..." she said, running a hand over the zergling's head. "It's a shame they won't let me take you out of here. I find that rather... cruel."

The zergling growled slightly as if it agreed with her.

"Don't worry though, I'll make Alexei see that you're harmless," she explained. "Or at least as harmless as you can possibly be."

Karen sighed and stood up.

"I'll be back soon. Mommy will get you out of here," she said before she left the room.

And just as usual, the other scientists were all staring at her as if they had seen something disturbing or strange. Karen glared at them and some of them quickly walked off, searching for other things to do. Karen looked at the remaining scientists.

"Do you have a problem?" she growled.

"N-no, ma'am."

"Good. Oh and make sure my pet is well fed - you wouldn't want it to go hungry."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

Karen walked over to the table and picked up the handheld display. She shuffled through its contents looking for the file on her. And she found it after some time. There wasn't much on her as she had yet to test her abilities but there were a few notes that interested her. Apparently the scientists thought she was of not one but two strains. She found this amusing and wondered exactly what strains they were. Karen would have to wait for them to continue the testing and she would need to test her own abilities in order to figure out but she had all the time in the world - it wasn't as if she was aging anyways.

Taldarin
Location: New Antioch, Shakuras

<I have returned.>

Almost at once, every Protoss in the room - five of them in total - rushed towards the one that spoke. It resembled a large, golden sarcophagus that had been mounted on four legs and armed with two very large, very powerful cannons. Tubes and cables of every thickness were plugged into the back. Some were carrying vital information; recording vitals and providing feedback on the newly installed components. Others, were pumping large volumes of a clear, blue-tinged liquid into the main body.

"You're awake?" One of those gathered asked somewhat pointlessly.

He, much like the others, was a thin chap with a pale, sallow complexion. The white robes and cybernetic eye marked him out to be from the Khalai Caste. Their frail physique and penchant for technology had not changed in over a thousand years. More importantly, the gold badge on his robes marked him out as the leader. Not a good sign if that meant he was the brightest of the lot.

"How are you feeling?" he went on to ask.

<About as nauseous as I felt the morning after Adun and I both made Praetor and proceeded to celebrate with a free flow of Alavash nectar.> Taldarin managed to respond, despite the pounding heaadache. <Did you know the legal limit for a male Protoss is twenty-one units of it in one week. Yet, for females, it is only fourteen? It is all very sexist, don't you think?>

"Uhhh..." the head scientist hessitated, not knowing how to go from there. Turning to the others, he was a little annoyed to find them all pretending to be busy with their duties.

<Come to think of it, it would be a frightful mess should I happen to be sick inside this chamber. Would I have to swim in it for the rest of eternity? Oh wait, never mind. I believe the little one will eventually clean it all up for me, yes?>

Utterly confused now, the head scientist ran for his notes in a final ditch effort to keep things running smoothly. Running through his list and making the final checks, he finally gave the go-ahead to detach the cables. Like a well oiled machine, the remaining four Protoss proceeded with the complicated process. The Robotics Facility echoed with the hiss of disengaging cables. Gradually, Taldarin stepped away from the assembly station, glad to finally have an opportunity to stretch his legs and admire his new body.

"Everything seems to be fine thus far," the head scientist droned, double checking his notes to be sure. "Your vitals remain within control parameters and power levels remain steady. Testing is likely to begin sometime within the next few hours. How are you liking the upgrades?"

<I thought I would never have a waist again.> Taldarin sounded his approval as he literally gave the new joint a spin. <And with twice the firepower, things should be pretty fun. Though, what is this 'hardened shield' that I can activate?>

The scientist's back straightened at the mention of this. One could easily see his smugness and pride. After all, that particular innovation was his brainchild.

"It is a new type of plasma shield I have developed. Theoretically, it better disperses enemy fire; using their own magnitude to reduce the force of impact."

<So, you mean to say that the more powerful the hit, the less it will hurt?>

"Essentially, yes. But... wait, where are you going? We have tests to do!"

Even before the head scientist had completed the sentence, Taldarin was already halfway out the door. Rotating around to face his benefactors, he explained himself even whilst he continued to make his unscheduled departure.

<Excellent.> he said, clearly ignoring the other's protests. <I can finally have a word with Selendis about the twenty credits she owes me.>

Screen Name: Kimera757

Character Name: Ulrezaj

Race: Protoss (dark archon)

Gender: Male (primary personality)

Appearance: A huge dark red archon. (His appearance will shift as he absorbs more followers into himself.)

Faction: Fist of Ulrezaj and Tal'darim, will shift from the former to the latter over the course of the story. Ulrezaj directly lead the former and leads the Aiur branch of the latter behind the scenes.

The Fist of Ulrezaj was a large dark templar terrorist group devoted to striking against the protoss of Aiur, especially whence they came to Shakuras. However, it was greatly weakened by troops led by Artanis and Zeratul. Elements still exist, including even a small fleet.

The Tal'darim are a cult of protoss, many addicted to the drug Sundrop, who worship forbidden knowledge related to the xel'naga. Many of their members are deluded, believing only what Ulrezaj or Felanis have told them, but those away from Aiur often have access to xel'naga artifacts. A branch exists on Shakuras, posing as guardians of the xel'naga temple there. This branch consists mainly of scholars, but their forbidden knowledge could be dangerous.

The Aiur branch is currently quite large, numbering about 300, but Ulrezaj whittles them down over time. The Shakuras branch consists of only 25 members but is growing.

Equipment: None directly, but Ulrezaj has access to the caverns beneath Aiur, including the giant crystal artifact and the special platforms there, as well as at least one xel'naga ship hidden in the caverns. He frequently visits an energy nexus under Ehlna's shallow ocean to recharge his powers. His followers have access to the drug, Sundrop, but must come to him for their supply.

Personality:/Background: Ulrezaj is bitter with hatred of the protoss of Aiur. While he had not yet been born when the Exile occurred, he was raised by angry parents on the moon of Ehlna, shortly after the rest of the Nerazim had set off toward Shakuras.

As a young alysaar (keeper of wisdom), Ulrezaj was unsatisfied with his lot in life. He accessed forbidden knowledge, which he learned concerned the xel'naga. He vowed to use it against the protoss of Aiur, feeling it would make him and any followers he could acquire stronger than them. However, the knowledge also warped and twisted his mind, afflicting him with obsession and a willingness to do anything to achieve his goals.

Ulrezaj had not finished accessing the knowledge when the alysaar discovered what he was doing. They begged him to allow them to wipe his mind clean of the knowledge, but he refused and stormed out. The protoss generally do not slay one another, and so they could not prevent him from leaving. This has left Ulrezaj not just insane, but with dangerous gaps in his knowledge. His knowledge of genetic modification and manipulation of xel'naga artifacts, for instance, greatly outpaces his knowledge of how they were intended to be used.

Ulrezaj hates all the protoss of Aiur, even the Tal'darim. He manifests this hatred by emotionally corrupting them and not freeing them from Aiur, though he could do so if he chose with his transport system.

Ulrezaj's core personality is about six hundred years old. He currently has three more within himself.

Character Font/Color: Lime Ulrezaj does not speak in quotation marks.

Sample Post:

Ulrezaj
Aiur, at the secret mouth of the caverns.

Report.

Felanis was a former Judicator still stranded on Aiur. Ever since the terrible betrayal, the sense of loss... he wished to be alone. No one thought it odd that he would avoid his fellows for hours, even days at a time. Such as now. Felanis shuddered at the powerful mental voice. Whatever this creature he now served was, he knew it to be far more powerful than himself. Of course, he had no way to know he was being subtly manipulated by a creature which could bend even protoss minds to its will.

"I have done what you have requested, oh Benefactor. I have spread the word of your religion. And those who know not the way to go, they have come to me. The most impressive of them is Alzadar."

That is good. I will give them purpose. I will center their thoughts, soothe their cries.

And what purpose shall that be?

Is not salving their ills enough? Trust me, Felanis, they will listen. You, on the other hand, must know who you serve. What you serve. Come forward. Step into the light.

A rectangular piece of ground simply vanished, and a dull red-violet glow exuded from the hole it had left behind. As a Judicator, Felanis had an idea of what was down there. However, he had never thought of going by himself. There was no Conclave to give him permission to do so. But he was the new leader of his race, and was being invited by a demigod himself. He went.

Come quickly, Felanis. Patience is not one of my many virtues.

Felanis hurried, but tried to hold onto his dignity. After all, the new leader of the protoss race had his position to think about.

Do you see me? Do you know what I am?

"No, Benefactor. I do not."

I will tell you. I will tell you all. But first, something to more closely link us. Something to strengthen the now missing link. I call it ... Sundrop...

(OOC I love you, mr peasant. I will bear your children.)

"Departure":
Captain Buzan and Morik

The lunar facility was in chaos. A Mammoth-class carrier was descending upon the base, its flank covered by three frigates. The mystery miner's response was as impressive as it was informative; automated chain guns opened up from a number of large asteroids and poured copious volumes of high-brisance primary explosives into them.

The chain guns' automated nature became quite obvious as they continued to fire, even though not a single round impacted the invaders, despite being dead-on target.

SCVs, mining ships and several Starheaper-class salvage vessels flitted across the asteroid belt uselessly, making way for the Mammoth carrer. A series of escape pods were jettisoned from the primary facility, twelve in number.

It was sheer chaos and disorder. This was good, as no one noticed that five of the escape pods conerged at the same coordinates and simply vanished into the darkness. The chaos also precluded worry that anyone still manning the communications array wouldn't pick up the telltale crackle and pop of the microwave background radiation... the sign of a warp jump.

The phantom battle against the Mammoth and frigates ended abruptly as they, too, vanished.

The automated chain guns, their programming contenting themselves with having "neutralized" the invading bogeys, settled back into their housings, almost like somnolent bears (somnolent bears with high-yield explosive projectiles) and went dormant.

* * *

Twitch, alongside the other space pirates, exited the escape pods that lingered on the hangar deck of the Kimera. The pods were lifted away and transported to storage by massive cranes. Twitch removed his helmet, to be greeted by the dour face of Captain Buzan. He winced and looked for help from his comrades. Instead, Vex, Manic and the others apparently had more pressing matters to attend to and had vanished; all he got was an Infested Terran at his side who intently studied his PDA.

Twitch opened his mouth; Buzan spoke instead. "We had to employ the Wintermute-class holo-projector. Velichek had to have a crew douse the generator as it overloaded not two minutes ago." Twitch winced. "What on Earth happened down there that made us need to use a Wintermute to distract the miners -- MINERS! -- with a veritable fleet of phantoms?!"

Twitch had no verbal response. Instead he raised a quivering finger at Morik.

Buzan closed his eyes. "Did he murder people?"

Twitch nodded. "But that's no what set them off."


"What, pray tell, did?"

Morik slowly smiled. "Carbon nanotubes and cesium are fun. So is nucleosynthesis."

Buzan blinked. "Nucleo. Synthesis." Morik nodded vigorously, and walked off.

Twitch recoiled, anticipating a tirade from Buzan. Instead, the man seemed to slump in on himself, and turned to him, having seemingly aged fifteen years in as many seconds. "What... did we find?" Dumbfounded, Twitch brought up his PDA to face Buzan.

::: DOWNLOADED DATA FILE :::
Observation of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement on Supraquantum
Structures by Induction Through Nonlinear Transuranic Crystal of Extremely
Long Wavelength (ELW) Pulse from Mode-Locked Source Array.

"Among other things," Twitch supplied.

Buzan's features softened, and he waved Twitch to follow him. "We're floundering, Twitch. I don't know if we can keep him aboard." Twitch translated "him" into "Morik". "We need more people, more resources, weapons, technology, money. And I don't know if we can keep him aboard at this rate." Buzan stopped and turned to Twitch fully. "Get some sleep. We're about to rectify two of our problems over the next few days."

Twitch hesitated. "And... which two problems are those?"

Buzan smiled. "Our money problem and shortage of personnel. We're now hiring."

Fire and smoke was everywhere. Marines were firing their C-141 AC Gauss Rifles wildly, letting loose hundreds of rounds. But still the Zerg pressed on, clambering over their dead, even ripping through them in some cases. Behind them some one hundred meters away was the landing zone for the retreating UED forces. Korhal had been lost, the primary base was nothing but a smoking ruin and the remaining forces on the planet were desperately trying to escape. On board one the numerous Dropships, Jenna Taylor stood inside, helping in the survivors as they scrambled on board.

"How many back there?" the dropship pilot asked over the comm.
"14 so far, and we have more coming in!" Jenna called back, firing off a few rounds towards the main mass of Zerg that was just now hitting the secondary defense line, some even climbing over bunkers, trying to get to the Dropships just behind. A Firebat rushed in, letting loose a torrant of plasma-based flame, turning several Zerglings into blackened husks.

"We can't wait anymore!" the pilot called out over the din of battle.
"There are still people coming in! We need to hold!" Jenna called back, helping in two more survivors.
"Negative, command said go, so we are going! Hold on, closing bay door!" the pilot responded, flicking several switches, slowly sealing the heavy neo-steel door. Just in time as well, as several Hydralisk spines impacted on the door, causing several dents in the metal. Moving to the cockpit, Jenna looked out over the landing zone.
"Damn it..." she whispered...

---

"Attention, attention, we have arrived at Redstone III. We will be docking at the orbital station in 10 minutes." the Freighter's communication system reported, waking Jenna from her troubled dreams. Shaking her head slightly, she got up and walked towards a window and looked out at the nearby planet. Redstone III was a sight to behold. A volcanic world, it was a home to the newest Kel-Morian Combine mining operation and already a space platform had been constructed on a grouping of several captured asteroids in high orbit over the world. In actuality, the asteroids were once part of the planet below. Jenna had read from official Combine reports that something had caused the planet to fracture long ago. This in turn brought up massive amounts of minerals and caused huge Vespene gas geysers to form across the planet's surface. However, large lava tides frequently covered much of the richer parts of the world, hence the Combines desperate need for miners.

This in turn meant that the world was a haven for people like her. The world, or more exact, the orbiting space platform, would hopefully bring new, more exciting employment then offing petty union bosses or messed up druggies. Grinning at this thought, Jenna turned away from the window and walked back to her bag, pushing past several miners. Getting her stuff, she joined the mass of people, waiting for the ship to dock.

15 minutes later, she was off the ship and on the station. It was obvious that it had just been built weeks earlier, as the walls and floors still had some shine to them and here and there was an engineer, working on some minor repair or fault in the new wiring. Ignoring this, Jenna headed right for largest bazaar on the station, picking out the busiest bar there. If anyone was looking for crew or some hired muscle, this would be the place to start. Taking a seat near the front of the business, Jenna ordered up a beer and began to wait, keeping one eye on the front door.
"Sooner or later..." she thought as she took a small sip. "Sooner or later..."

Ulrezaj growled to himself.

Even a demigod could have troubles. In this case, an embarrassment of riches. He simply had too many chores, each of which were of world-shattering importance. He had fanatics to sway, assassins to direct, knowledge to attain...

The last was the most important. How would he know where to send his minions with these despicable gaps in his knowledge? Well, he would fix some of that problem soon.

But first, he had a minion to direct. In his giddiness, Ulrezaj simply vanished from his spot in the caverns, reappearing in the forbidden central chamber. Felanis was drawn in his wake. Idly, one part of him was disturbed that some of the Nerazim had discovered how to use that same ability easily. Ulrezaj stifled the thought. If his eventual subjects became more like him, all the better.

Felanis. This is my most private, secret chamber. It is off-limits to all of your subordinates. You will make this clear.

"The penalty, Benefactor?"

DEATH.

Felanis did not agree, but one never knew when a demigod could be pushed.

"I hear and obey."

You have been abandoned, Felanis. Not once, but twice.

Felanis bowed his head in shame. Ladranix had reported the protoss force which had arrived the previous year. They had destroyed many of the zerg, but left quickly, ignoring the signal fires the Shel'na Kryhas had lit.

Knowledge is strength. I will teach you how to hide from the zerg, and how to capture them.

Felanis was stunned. Why would they want to capture the zerg? Why not just slay them?

You will tell your followers to move into the caves. Yes, into these very places. They must let go of their old ways. Those who refuse are denying their Benefactor. The zerg may not be spawning, but numbers of them have been moving toward your camp in the last few months... it will be easy to persuade them to come here, especially once you've given them the Sundrop. Now go. I will tell you about the zerg later.

Felanis rushed out of the central chamber. A few minutes later, he realized he was lost. This was a test, was it not? He must get to his followers, and quickly.

Ulrezaj turned to the giant crystal which enabled him to communicate with his minions at long-range, wherever they may be. And right now, it was imperative he speak with Garovitner, his emissary to the Ascended Being.

Garovitner. Report.

"Lord Ulrezaj. The super carrier is in position, but I have seen no sign of the Ascended Being's--

They shall be there. I have already given you instructions on what to say, and what to do. But I have a new one: when you are finished, come here. Come right back here to Aiur. I need the report personally. You know what that means.

Garovitner knew exactly what this meant. He would be part of a living demigod, adding himself to Ulrezaj.

Alexei Stukov

'Stukov ... Stukov ...'

Alexei Stukov stood in a realm of black abyss.

'Your heart for the Swarm.'

Purple creep began to seep below him, covering his feet, and climbing up his legs. Alexei began to scream.

'You cannot run, you cannot run.'

He tried to move, but the Creep only engulfed him faster. As his body was covered in the Zerg slime, the atmosphere changed to atop a burning planet (and he could see himself outside his body). His body began to move across space, covering each planet in creep he passed.

'Your vessel, Stuko-- your vessel is mine.'

"No no, stop it, no!"

His body began to fly at light-speed, and before he knew it he saw his homeworld of Earth.

"I owe you nothing! I owe you nothing!"

'Stukov ... Stukov ... come back to me ...'

The world began to burn with the Swarm's Creep.

"No ... I won't do this ... no, no!"

* * * * *

"NO!" screamed Stukov as he awoke from his bed, Opera music playing from an antique radio. He began to look around the room in horror. "A dream ... only a dream ..."

Just then, a loud screech began buzzing in his head. He screamed in agony at the high frequency noise. After it stopped, he got up from his fetal position, his head thumping with pain.

He slammed out of his quarters and began walking through the Barracks. A Marine stood to attention as he walked by. "Sir, uh ..." The Marine witnessed the Admiral's schizo face. The rest of the soldiers stopped their training and could only watch in horror at their leader's horrifying passing.

Stukov went straight to the Science Facility in their base, and headed towards the research area, where he knew he'd find her. He stepped into a room with several scientists (about to leave), Karen Sarov, and a Zergling. They all stood in shock at their inflamed Admiral.

"Kill it," he said, pointing to the contained Zergling. One of the scientists looked towards him bewildered. "But sir ..."

"I SAID KILL IT DAMNIT!"

The scientists immediately rushed to a panel and pushed a button, which filled the contained area with poison gas, killing the Zergling inside. The screeching began once again; he held up his stature the best he could.

Stukov turned his attention towards Karen Sarov, who was deeply disturbed by the Admiral's furor. He took out his C-150 Pistol, pushed the genetically-manipulated Terran against the wall, the pistol in front of her forehead with the gun triggered.

"Stop fucking with my hea-- STOP FUCKING WITH ME!" Karen looked in abhorrence at the one man she had trusted. "You brought IT back didn't you!? DIDN'T YOU!?"

Karen Sarov
Experiment

Karen put down the display and turned just in time to see Stukov walk in. A genuine smile spread across her face. One of the scientist noticed and his eyebrows raised - it was rare for Karen to smile, especially on that was not fake. But her smile quickly disappeared as she realized the emotional state the Admiral was in. Even without her psionics she would have been able to tell that something serious was wrong. He definitely wasn't the same Admiral she had known.

"What the-?" Karen started as she watched the scientists rush over to the control panel.

When she noticed what was happening, she began to growl. Karen felt the zergling cry out in her mind and she immediately reached out with her mind in attempt to comfort it in its last moments. At the same time she knew that there was nothing she could do about it as the men would follow Stukov's orders and not her own. She turned to face Stukov, still growling, her hands flexing slightly as she tried to resist the urge to kill him. Karen was normally a calm person but there were certain things that would bring forth a reaction which would often become a violent one if it weren't for her self control.

How dare he kill what is mine! Karen thought. I should kill him for it in the exact same way he killed my pet. She breathed in and out in an attempt to calm herself. No, it wasn't entirely his fault. I can't blame him if he doesn't like the Zerg, after what he's been through.

Once Karen had quelled her urges and had calmed herself down, she looked up at Stukov. It was obvious that he was not well. Something terrible was troubling him.

She was surprised when he slammed against the wall and then drew his pistol out and pointed it at her.

Normally, Karen would have immediately gone into what she called her survival mode. She would have killed him on the spot if he were anyone else. Karen forced herself to remain calm, willing her anger to go away. And when Stukov yelled at her, Karen did something unexpected. She smiled, gently pushed his hand down and away from her.

"Sshhh," Karen said, still smiling. "I'm not messing with you and I don't think I ever could. But I can help you, Alexei. All you have to do is let me."

Karen raised her right hand and placed it on the side of face. She idly rubbed her thumb against his cheek, still smiling. Karen reached out with her mind and tried to calm him down just enough so that she could get to work. She realized that this was an opportunity to show him her loyalty and to earn a bit of trust. The scientists watched in confusion, a few in amusement. Once she was in his mind, she began to tell him what she was going to do, more so that he could trust her than any real need to do so.

I'm just going to do a routine check of your mind to make sure everything is okay, Karen explained in his mind so that only he would hear her.

Karen began to scan his mind, going slowly so he didn't feel like she was trying to do something else. She almost gasped in shock but forced herself to remain calm for his sake - she didn't want to scare or surprise him. Her facial expression almost changed into one of shock but she forced it to stay the same. It would be much better for the both of them if he remained calm.

Now I don't mean to alarm you, Alexei, but you have a parasite, Karen continued to explain, remaining as calm as ever. We'll need to perform surgery to get rid of it. And before you even ask, no I did not put it in you. Though I am infested, there are some things that I haven't done. I should probably tell you that from what we've gathered so far there are two possibilities as to what strain I am spliced with - it is either zergling or queen or perhaps both. And yet, I have not discovered what abilities I may possess so it is out of the question that I could have put a parasite in you. Someone - or something in the case of the Zerg - else probably did this. And I have told you this countless times: I work for you. I'm on your side. I've was the only person who stayed with you when you 'lost your mind'. Doesn't that say a anything, Alexei? Can't you see I'm loyal? Or do you not trust me because I remained infested? Are you that pathetic that you cannot see past physical differences? Trust me Alexei or at least give me a chance to prove my loyalty to you.

"Defiance - Part 2"

"So, we are in agreement then?" Duran asked.
The Dark Archon hovering before him nodded.
"Indeed. What you have told us is... profound. Even a mind as ours will take some time to process all this new information. But our reply is a resounding 'yes.'"
Duran grinned.
"Excellent. Its almost a pity you do not ingest solid sustenance, I should have liked to toast our finalized allegiance."

It was all as he had planned. Garovitner, the Dark Archon before him, a friend of Ulrezaj himself, had just agreed to supply Duran with coveted Protoss technology and ships. All in exchange for information about the Protoss's origins and the crystals they seeked. They had also agreed to provide military support to eachother in case of attack, and Duran was glad he had connections to a band of mercenaries called Schezar's Scavengers. He would covertly introduce the Fist to this band of renegades and let them suffer the brunt of any battles rather than his own men.

Garovitner stared at him.
"We are still not sure what to make of all this. Under normal circumstances I would invade your mind and take the information I desired. But I cannot read your thoughts, Terran. Tell us, how do you know so much of our strife? What crystals did you unlock?"
His children were bright, but not so wise.
"If I told you that, I'd have no leverage. You'll just have to trust me for the time being. You are not the only one who can play mind games. Do not temp me, Archon. Enjoy our victory here today and you shall be rewarded with more in time."

Garovitner, taken a bit aback, silenced himself. No normal Terran would dare challenge a Dark Archon face to face, their brain would fry. But this one had escaped the clutches of the new Zerg Queen herself, and thus deserved at least some respect.

Duran continued. "Now, if you do not mind, I have other business to attend to. You will hear again from me soon."
Garovitner nodded, and Duran exited the room. On the way down the corridor to his shuttle, he passed two Dark Templar dragging a Khalai civilian towards Garovitner's chamber.

"I guess its Lunchtime," he said to himself with his usual pompous chuckle.